Kevin Love thinks that a defending NBA champion deserves a little more respect around these parts.
Addressing reporters after practice on Saturday, the Cleveland Cavaliers big man laughed off the team’s underdog status against the Golden State Warriors heading into their third straight NBA Finals meeting.
“The whole underdog thing is funny to me, because, yeah, at the end of the day we are defending our title,” said Love, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We’re trying to repeat, which is so hard to do.
“I think we will use it as fuel,” he continued. “We will use it as motivation, but the idea of playing into it? It’s tough for me to say that is the case. I don’t feel like we’re underdogs. We match up well with them, and I think they’d say the same about us.”
In fairness, a 73-win team adding Kevin Durant will make an underdog out of just about anybody. Vegas odds, public opinion, and virtually every other sphere already reflect that much. But as Love alluded to, the Cavs from top to bottom really seem to be letting the longshot label fuel them, and that should only further heighten the intensity of Round 3 between the two bitter rivals.
